"Heresy," "neo-paganism," "blasphemy." All strong words. And all went through my mind as I read reports on the recent so-called theological conference, Re-Imagining, which was in part sponsored by the UM Women's Division.
The Evangelical Coalition for United Methodist Women (ECUMW) cooperated in a joint press coverage effort at the ecumenical Re-Imagining Conference held November 4-7 in Minneapolis. Staff and directors of the Women's Division of the Board of Global Ministries were encouraged to attend this event--all expenses paid--as this quadrennium's theological workshop. But the evangelical women who covered this event as press agree that "this was no Christian meeting."
The re-imagining of God began in the first session on Thursday where all repeated the litany: "Most of all, it is time to state clearly and dream wildly about who we are as people of God, and who we intend to be in the future through the power and guidance of the spirit of wisdom whom we name Sophia." This statement was followed by a chorus often repeated throughout this event: "Now Sophia, dream the vision, share the wisdom dwelling deep within."
Naming God Sophia was only the beginning. Conference speakers praised every imaginable religion or spirituality, except orthodox Christianity, and recognized the power of every deity, except Jesus Christ.
Participants were led in a Native American Tobacco Ritual and they took part in the "Anointing with Red Dots," a custom from India which speaker Aruna Gnanadason identified as "a beautiful symbol of how we are always conscious of the divine in each other..." Regarding the passage from Joel ("I shall pour out my spirit on all humanity"), Lois Wilson, immediate past president of the World Council of Churches, asked, "Surely God didn't mean all humanity; did he mean neo-pagans, did she mean the Wiccans, the Sikhs, the Muslims, the Hindus, the men and the women? Or did she?"
In a session on re-imagining Jesus, "womanist" theologian Delores S. Williams said to the 500 participants, "We do not need atonement, we just need to listen to the god within..." Another presenter, Asian feminist theologian Kwok Pui-Lan stated, "We cannot allow others to define our sin. What is our sin?" Dr. Pui-Lan indicated that the humanistic-Confucian tradition emphasizes the propensities in human nature for good, not evil. Barbara Lundblad, a Lutheran pastor, acknowledged: "some would call our worship of last night verging on heresy....We did not last night name the name of Jesus. Nor have we done anything in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Laughter and cheers followed her observation.
This re-imagining conference was indeed rife with heresy. It was worse than we could have possibly imagined. Among the funders listed were: Minnesota Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women, Minnesota Conference United Methodist Women, and the Women's Division of the UM Church.
The women of the church must denounce what took place at this meeting. By participating in and supporting this event, the Women's Division has betrayed our trust.
Will you join ECUMW/RENEW in a postcard campaign to the Women's Division asking the directors to repudiate and repent of their participation in the Re-Imagining conference?
It is important for many voices to be heard. In the past, the Women's Division assumed that when they received only a small protest, there was acceptance of controversial activities. Dozens of events like this one are now being planned across the country. We must speak out now.